For communities living in and around Rietfontein, Pretoria, the Jakaranda Centre is well known. For 40 years, this local shopping centre has fulfilled the retail needs of those living nearby. While the centre has undergone small redevelopments in its lifetime, it’s currently undergoing its biggest redevelopment yet – transforming into a contemporary shopping and lifestyle hub.

The refurbishment intends to re-establish Jakaranda Centre as the trusted retail centre of choice in the community, with an expanded shopping experience. It’s being carried out by the Public Investment Corporation on behalf of its client, the Government Employees Pension Fund. Mowana Properties has taken on the role of the property management company, offering leasing, property management and marketing services. This includes vetting, securing and retaining tenants, overseeing financial reporting, ensuring necessary compliance, and implementing various marketing campaigns.

Highlights from the refurbishment include:

• A new roof overhang at the main entrance to create an iconic urban image
• An additional entrance with street-level access to the centre near Pick n Pay
• Upgraded apartment blocks into modern lifestyle units, with a brand new access route
• A new skylight, which uses a state of the art EFTE system to control the levels of natural lighting and thermal gains and losses, reducing running costs
• A solar farm on the roof to provide the mall with solar electricity
• A new gym and food court
• Improved two levels of parking and additional specialty stores
• A new taxi drop-off area to make the centre more accessible

In total, the redevelopment GLA will stand at an estimated 22,000m2. With so much attention being paid to detail and quality, there’s no doubt the community will enjoy Jakaranda Centre’s new look and feel.

For more, please click this link
https://mowanaproperties.co.za/properties/jakaranda-shopping-centre/

The Tlhabane Square is an exciting new mixed-use precinct situated in Rustenburg in the North West of South Africa. Developed by the Public Investment Corporation – with Mowana Properties overseeing property management, including leasing and marketing services – the precinct features a regional mall with 31,000sqm of GLA. This includes two levels of retail covering fashion, food, homeware and entertainment.

The precinct also features offices (incorporating Home Affairs, a Labour Department office and a hotel with conference facilities), a police station, magistrate court, taxi drop-off, tyre fitment centre and traders market.

As a whole, Thlabane Square is a significant investment in a part of Rustenburg that needs uplifting. Not only is it serving both the shopping and service needs of customers, but the building of the precinct also supported local job creation and skills transfer, maximising community impact.

Tlhabane Square’s construction relied on a significant percentage of local labour and locally sourced building materials. In the tender requirements, the client set out preferential procurement criteria requiring 30% of the work to be done by local and 51% black-owned companies.

In terms of building materials, all sand, cement, bricks, concrete, mortar, reinforcing steel, equipment and stationery were sourced from local suppliers. And in terms of labour, both unskilled and semi-skilled workers were recruited into the construction team, where on-site and formal skills transfer took place. Specialist subcontractors helped to train workers in areas including crane operation and concrete placement, and in administrative tasks, time management, first aid and fire prevention.

The surrounding community is excited about and proud of this development. While it has supported skills development from the start, the precinct’s excellent location, visibility and access will continue attracting activity, opportunity and job creation for years to come.

Tlhabane Square will be completed and launched end of August, despite setbacks caused by the various COVID-19 lockdowns.

Ga-Rankuwa City is currently the only retail centre of size within the market area. It is classified as a large community centre, providing both retail and social services to the community. Much of the foot count can be attributed to the location of a taxi rank within the same site as the shopping centre. There is also a strong presence of informal traders on the site, attracted by the commuters frequenting the taxi rank. The shopping centre is surrounded by large areas of open land which makes the possibility of expansion possible.

For more, please click this link
https://mowanaproperties.co.za/properties/ga-rankuwa-city/

“In light of the global pandemic and the negative toll it has taken on society, Mowana Properties remains true to the spirit of ubuntu. Marketing along with Property and Asset Management activated the COVID-19 Food Parcels relief program aimed at all soft services essential workers on our Urban Portfolio.

This initiative is aimed at providing essential food parcels to 158 identified soft services staff members at our respective sites, we managed to deliver the parcels over a period of a week. The following sites where the receiving benefactors.

• Castle Walk
• Eastwood
• Waterkloof
• The Wedge
• Linksfield

The following staff benefited:

• Security Personal
• Car Guards
• Cleaning Staff
• Garden Maintenance Personal
• Waste Management Personal
• Handymen
• and Centre Managers

It is my honour to pen a few words to Honour the women in our company, in the context of women in our country and in the world. Women make up 62.7 % of our total staff compliment. When you were employed, you were not employed because you are a woman, but because you displayed the skill, capability, qualification and ability to perform the functions required. The best person for the job was appointed. In my six years at Mowana, I have been honoured to be surrounded by a quality team, who made me stronger by sharing your skills, ability and passion. Your Quality has been my quality, your passion has been my passion, your skill has been my skill. Do not be silent. Share your concerns and ideas. Our company needs new Ideas to ensure a future Mowana. Trust has come through strongly from you the women in our business, not only in Mowana but also in our parent company Pareto.

You lead in many areas of our business, at shopping malls, in our office and commercial portfolios, at regional manager level, in legal, in finance, in office management, and so much more. Wherever you find yourself, be the best YOU. Women can be whatever they want to be. They say, and I quote: If you need something Said, ask a Man If you want something done, ask a Woman. I wish to pay tribute to the contribution you as women make to our society, giving birth to our children, nurturing and educating them, your contribution to our economy and the contribution to the success of our company.

In closing, I wish to quote Jeanette Marais, Deputy Chief Executive officer at Momentum Metropolitan Holdings and CEO of Momentum investments “ I’ve learnt throughout the years, the most important is to give myself permission to be successful. And while we have made significant strides as women in what is seen as a man’s world, it remains our responsibility to ensure that this change continues – so that the women of tomorrow don’t have to start where we started, but take over from where we left off.”

They say that you are too strong – Be Stronger, They say you are too ambitious – Be more Ambitious, they say you are too passionate – Be more Passionate.

‘There’s no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life less than the one you are capable of living “ (The late Nelson Mandela).

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Mr Kevin Roman
(CEO Mowana Properties)

On the 1st of February, the Tembisa Plaza Centre held a back to school campaign that aimed at not only providing school shoes to children who are in need but also educating them about finances, drug abuse and issues such as bullying.

The campaign did not only impact the community positively, but the tenants at Tembisa plaza such as Jet that had the highest sales on that day.

Taking audiences locally by storm, this family comedy drew thousands of patrons to cinemas nationally and warmed the hearts of the larger South African audience. Building on the theme developed in the first movie, Keeping up with the Kandasamy’s centred on the much-anticipated Naidoo/Kandasamy wedding.

The Pav had an exciting opportunity to partner with the Kandasamy’s movie franchise and hosted a Meet & Greet at the Pav during the movie’s opening weekend. The Pav hosted the cast in style at the main Fountain Court for 2 hours and shoppers had the opportunity to take pics with the cast and get their autograph while watching Rory Booth perform the soundtrack from the movie live for the first time.

In conjunction with this Pavilion ran a spend to win competition to win a R10 000 Pavilion voucher which ran from the 5th to the 17th of April. To enter the competition customers had to spend R500 or more at any store at The Pavilion Shopping Centre, fill in an entry form which was available at the Information Desk, attach their till slip and drop it into an entry box situated at the Information Desk.

FASHION DESIGNER CSI INITIATIVE

The Pavilion embarked on a search for fashion designers across Durban. The partnership with Durban Fashion Fair broadened the opportunities for selected designers and promises to make The Pavilions 4th Vodacom Durban July one to remember.

The Pavilion’s Designers Emporium’ pop-up fashion store was set up at The Pavilion offering young designers an opportunity to gain exposure and promote growth their brands in an exclusive retail space.

The young designer’s initiative is a Proudly Pav concept and aims to uplift and assist young talent in the greater Durban area. The pop-up fashion store is trading from 14 June to 14 September 2019, housing designers such as Afrolucious, Indoni Fashion House and Touch Of Soul to name a few.

Last year local fans of LEGO rejoiced in the fact that an official LEGO Store had opened in Sandton, and now it’s happening again, this time at Menlyn Park shopping centre in Pretoria.

As the general look and layout of these stores are standardised around the world, this will give you a clear idea of what the Menlyn Park version will look like.

With 170m² of prime real estate, young and old alike will have an amazing variety of choice at their fingertips, as well as some of LEGO’s latest innovations, sets and the likes, putting it on par with some of the leading stores across the globe. Shoppers are able to build interact with unique features within the store, including a Pick a Brick Wall, Build a Minifigure, or a custom-designed mosaic of a Jacaranda tree, which celebrates the host city. In addition to this, the Menlyn store will also be the only store in South Africa to include the Digital Minifigure Scanner, which allows shoppers to scan their hand to generate a digital 3D LEGO® Minifigure of themselves.

Southgate makes kids bosses.

Refiloe, Khanyisile Lesaoana and Sibusiso Zwane

The launch of the Inaugural Kids Board at Southgate Mall excited both the parents of the children and the children who were made brand ambassadors. In case you are wondering what a Kids Board is; as it is popularly known, kids play a big role in influencing purchase decisions in families and households, Southgate has resolved to use kid influencers as a powerful marketing tool in order to gradually change the negative brand perceptions that the mall may have accumulated over the years.

The General Manager for Southgate Mall, Selina Seitshiro explained that the launch for the Inaugural Kids Board was basically an initiative for Southgate and all its other partners to show gratitude to the communities that have been supporting the mall for the last 28 years.

Seitshiro said, “This is also our way of giving back to the communities that have been with us this long and the kids on the board belong to schools, so our intention and our partners’ intention is for them to even further make an impact in their schools.”

It is almost unarguable that kids are likable, authentic and relatable; therefore, Southgate Mall has figured that placing them in the forefront of their brand will make Southgate Mall as favourably appealing to its shoppers as a family shopping centre.

The mission for the Southgate Kids Board is to reposition the mall as a family shopping mall and provide a platform within the mall where children’s opinions won’t only matter and be heard but will also be heeded and implemented.‘Kheez’ impassioned about the music keys

One parent who was astounded and impressed by the initiative was Valerie Agulhas who went to the launch at the mall in support of her friend’s child, she said, “I really think this is a wonderful opportunity and experience for the kids, and it will help keep them disciplined and on the right path.”

Seitshiro concluded that the kids will even be made to under-stand the other dynamics in retail and not just shopping.